Notes: Ginseng Sullivan featured Trey on acoustic guitar, Mike on upright bass, Page on piano and Fish on Madonna washboard and was preceded by a Roundabout tease. Antelope featured Tom Marshall on vocals. Tweezer contained a Jean Pierre tease from Trey. It's Ice contained a Random Note signal. The band put on wet suits during the end of the YEM vocal jam, which contained a HYHU tease. The third set was preceded by bubble noises through the PA and the band “diving” into the aquarium on stage. Peaches en Regalia was teased in It’s Ice, Possum, Suzy Greenberg and at the end of the second HYHU (by Trey on drums). Possum also contained an Earache My Eye tease. Auld Lang Syne was teased in the DWD Jam and Hood. Suzy also contained a Smoke on the Water tease and Hood also contained a brief Odd Couple theme tease from Page. Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone. The entire show was broadcast live (and rebroadcast the following day) on Boston's WBCN 104.1 FM.

I have so many things I'd like to say about the music Phish played at this show. Unfortunately they get all tangled up in negative things. Ego, fear, and hyperbole. Instead I'll try to stick to the facts. I've listened to the Reba jam alone hundreds (thousands?) of times. It could be one of my favorite pieces of music I've ever heard.

I'll admit this up front. I wasn't at this show. Or any other shows during this run or anywhere near the era of this run. Hell I hardly even gave Phish a chance in 1993. For this I can only wonder why. You have to be ready to really hear music. I'll also admit I'm a music geek. Big time. Maybe that's two strikes on two pitches but so be it.

I will tell you this however, and feel quite sure of myself. At times Phish could (still can I think) transcend themselves and create music that is way bigger than the sum of its parts. Music they knew was in there if only they could get out of the way. Music as perfect as a Bach partita. As raw as Hendrix but as loose as and free as Miles. As clean and pure as a desert sunrise. As a powerful as a thunderstorm.

It's all there. In just the Reba alone. There's not one wasted note from any of the players. As a musician I can only imagine what it would feel like to play music like this. Such perfect improvised music as in this Reba jam. We could all hope to ever do anything so perfect. I wonder if Phish ever listens back to it. Do they care? Would they hear any of what I hear?

Phish is special for so many reasons but one of those reasons is change. Phish was always changing. They are still changing. NYE 1993, NYE 1995, Fall 1997, Clifford Ball, Big Cypress, and so on. Iconic dates and such different sounding music.

I don't regret many things about my life but I regret not being at this show.

Though it may not have the title of "Greatest NYE Show Ever" that phans usually give to NYE '95, 12/31/93 has long been argued by many avid listeners as the true great New Years show. Its really a difficult argument to make either way you look at it. Sure NYE '95 was the climax to the greatest single month in the bands history (11/94 I would give close second) and the marked the point where Phish really stood apart from the rest of their musical peers. However it could be argued that 12/31/95 would not exist if it were not for the precedent two years earlier, as the band ushered in '94 by rocking the Centrum into musical delirium thanks to our good friend Harry Hood.

Set I features an amazing Stash that concludes with a slight tease of the Roundabout theme. After Ginseng Sullivan we get a nice serving of Reba. I'm actually surprised at the lack of mention this Reba ever gets because although the jam is short it is fiery and features a whistled out ending. The set closes with a scorching Antelope the like of which youd expect from Phish a la '93.

Set II is probably where this show lacks compared to NYE '95 in that the Tweezer is short and despite the transitions through songs nothing feels overly exploratory or mind melting. However the set does end with YEM which kind of saves it from futility in my mind. This is a superbly jammed out YEM that sets the stage well for Set III.

After the ball drops and the band plays the customary Aud Lang Syne things get moving, and in a big way. They band begins to play DWD. Though it has become one of the bands most popular tunes many fans arent aware that this three minute lighting strike is the first DWD ever played! It is an absolute perfect way to kick of an amazing set. After DWD the band was clearly focused and made mince meat of every tune in their way until only one adversary was left: HARRY HOOD. I will have heard many a Hood in my day but to me this will always be the greatest version of the song bar none. Intro is standard if not a little drawn out but after a screaming distortion section the jam begins with Trey playing a beautiful Aud Lang Syne tease. From then on the song is pure ecstasy with the final 3-4 minutes featuring some of the most exciting guitar work I've ever heard. Trey fully hoses the crowd for the final 2 minutes and by the time the theme comes in your left with goosebumps. Perhaps my favorite piece of Phish ever!

The concert is an essential for any serious Phish fan and the Harry Hood is arguably the best ever. The concert is also a must for having some of the best AUD tapes ever recorded imo. Get it now and you'll feel good.

This just might be my favorite show of all time. At the very least, it's my favorite pre '95 show. I'm a big Phish fan (or at least that's what I tell myself) but I'm far more predisposed to listen to post '95 Phish (especially '97-'98, my two favorite years...I'm a fan of the funk) However New Years '93 destroyed any pre conceived notions I had about this era of Phish. Phish absolutely destroyed the Worcester Centrum on this day/night.

LLAMA kicks the show off with a huge bang. Page tears this one apart. I've never been a huge fan of GUELAH PAPYRUS but this is a very solid version. STASH is in typical beast mode, one of my favorite songs in Phish's repertoire. This is the first song in the show where Trey really lets loose as he builds and releases the tension of the jam very nicely. Mike steps up for GINSENG SULLIVAN, a typical but enjoyable version. REBA is the improvisational master that it was born to be. Trey pretty much nails the tight composed section. PEACHES EN REGALIA is yet another thread of the multi-colored covers tapestry that Phish has weaved throughout their history. You'd have to guess that among all the other diverse songs and genres Phish has covered, they'd have to play Frank Zappa. This is a great version that dissovles into the wackiness of I DIDN'T KNOW. This song never really made an impression on me until listening to this show. It's a great version, complete with Fish in his vacuum-playing glory. RUN LIKE AN ANTELOPE was short but incendiary, and featured Tom Marshall singing the first lines he apparently ever wrote for Phish. Is there a better set closer in Phish's repertoire than Antelope? Not many come close.

The second set is defined by a continuous segue-fest that could hold up in any era of Phish. TWEEZER kicks the set off in very funky fashion. Although short by the gargantuan standards that Tweezer would begin to set the next year, the jam is melodic and exciting, and is cut off far too early before seguing into HALLEY'S COMET. The second of two Richard Wright tunes of the night, this Comet features nice singing by the guys, but is merely a transitional tune before quickly seguing into POOR HEART. Out of all of Mike's bluegrass tunes, I will always prefer his original bluegrass song about his stolen 4 track player. There is a segue into a wild, thrilling IT'S ICE. Page sounds great on the vocals, and the musical onomatopoeia section (the part where the song literally falls through the ice and sinks to the bottom) seems flawlessly nailed to me. Fish begins the segue to FEE a little early, but the rest of the band catches up to play his quirky little favorite. The megaphone versions of Fee always outshine their megaphone-less counterparts for me. There is a great, almost genuine segue into the great, simple, bluesy rocker that is POSSUM. Unlike some later years versions of the song, the song's length is justified and doesn't seem drawn out. The set could end and I'd die a happy man. However, Page steps out from behind the boards for LAWN BOY. A typical version, but even typical versions are great. YOU ENJOY MYSELF is the barnburner it typically was in this period. The composed section (my favorite composed section in Phish's entire repertoire) is flawlessly executed. The jam is pretty standard, but still quite incendiary. Mike takes a short but subtle-as-a-sledgehammer bass solo before they go into a very long vocal jam. The length is again justified as it all sounds great. An absolutely amazing set, leaving me to wonder how Set 3 could possibly hold up.

Set 3 isn't quite as good as the set before it, but it contains one of the single greatest moments in Phishtory. We will get to that later. The New Year's countdown leads to an instrumental combo of AULD LANG SYNE and DOWN WITH DISEASE. They jam the traditional song to ring the New Years in with by going into the outro jam of Down with Disease, the first time any part of the song appeared in a Phish show. As far as I know, the only other New Years show where Phish songs debuted was the comeback 2002 New Year's Eve Show (which debuted Seven Below, Waves, and Walls of the Cave) The set opens up with an angular, angry version of SPLIT OPEN AND MELT. Melt took a turn for the better in 1993, and really began to stretch out into uncharted jam space. THE LIZARDS was great, and featured the always welcome unflubbed lyrics by Trey, and the ending simply soared. SPARKLE will never be one of my favorite songs, but this version is good by Sparkle standards. It leads directly into SUZY GREENBERG. This Suzy is slightly stretched out, and features a great piano solo by Page, Leo, the Chairman of the Boards. CRACKLIN' ROSIE works surprisingly well, considering Fishman isn't the world's greatest lead singer. The lighthearted antics of Fish's turn at the mic lead into what is probably the greatest version of HARRY HOOD ever played. This is the aforementioned "one of the single greatest moments in Phishtory." Some versions of Hood kinda go through the motions in the opening segments, before lifting off for the final jam. This version of Hood, however, simply shines throughout every note. The reggae section before the first lyrics is typical, but the composed section after the first lyrics is nailed with both precision and emotion. The darker section right before "Thank you Mr. Miner" is absolutely destroyed, and might tear your speakers apart. But the real money of this version is of course in the final, soaring, blissful, balls-to-the-wall jam. This is one of Trey's shining moments on the electric guitar. No matter what mood you're in, when they climax with "You can feel good, good, good about Hood", I dare you to not break into a shit-eating grin over the journey you just undertook with your favorite band. This Hood is the reason why I listen to these 4 shaggy, dirty guys out of Vermont. TWEEZER REPRISE is expected, but closes the show in fine fashion.

GOLGI APPARATUS is a little rough but is still the classic encore song. AMAZING GRACE closes the show beautifully.

This show is in my top 5 favorite Phish shows of all time. I also have it in amazing sound quality, which helps. Do everything you can to listen to this show. You won't regret it.

By the time the New Year’s Eve show was announced for the Worcester Centrum in 1993, I’d only seen the band a few times. I’ll be honest—while Phish had rocked me sufficiently enough to get me back multiple times, I was still very much a Deadhead going to Phish shows in my spare time. Compared to the Dead, Phish was cheaper and easier, but the Grateful Dead was still offering a mobile quantum vortex that I didn’t think Phish had in them. Phish proved me wrong on 12/31/1993.

Having seen my fair share of New Year’s shows, I have to say that this NYE show stands as my favorite. 12/31/93 was where everyone in the room understood that this was a cusp moment. At the February PPAC Providence show tickets out front had been going for ten bucks and I’d stood three feet from Trey, snapping photographs while he hammed it up for me and shredded the frets. Now here I was a few months later at the Centrum, a place I’d grown up seeing world-class rock bands like Rush, Iron Maiden and The Scorpions, watching the room fill up with Phisheads in front of the aquarium-themed stage. It slowly dawned on the Lysergic Groupmind of the room that Phish wasn’t just a cool band from Vermont anymore, they were becoming a widely popular band. To left and right, there was nothing but smiles at being in the right place at the right time.

When the lights went down, you could feel how ready the audience was. Everyone’s timing was flawless this night, especially the band. Everything seemed so BIG, the music, the crowd energy, the fact it was New Year’s. When Trey asked “Is Everyone in?”, he didn’t just mean if we were all physically in the room. This was a threshold moment, and we knew It. The frame of the fish tank glowed at us, framed the band for us. Waves through the room carrying the memory of Frank and Trey captures them into a clean “Peaches en Regalia” that the band would thread expertly throughout the night. Energy sparked in jagged peaks during Antelope and Tweezer and they fucked with everyone’s heads during Halley’s Comet (are they saying “Hell is Coming” or “Halley’s Comet?”). The Possum went on for so long but I always think of this version when I think of the song. The first two sets are still two of my all time favorite live experiences.

I recall the gag was that four people who might have been Phish floated down in scuba gear to the huge sea clam sitting in the middle of the stage. Moving like they were under water, they climbed into the clam, and then it did the countdown to midnight. It was pretty hilarious at the time. The rest of the show rocked adequately, though not as intensely as the first two, though I agree that the Hood and Golgi brought it home.

It certainly left us all in a lofty realm as we streamed giddily out of The Centrum and into the year of our Lord 1994. The sparkling smiles all around me assured me that it was going to be a great year to be alive, especially if you were a Phish fan.

I have to say I've been to a lot of shows, listened to 500 plus and this is my favorit show, from trey's everybody in yet in the break of papyrus to the BEST hood I've ever heard. Seriously, if there is a heaven, its what this hood is like.
Listen to thish show, great halleys to

It's very easy for Phish Geeks to get all hung up on the musicality and the "trey made this note sing" type stuff in these reviews. For those of us who were at this show and rocking the good acid, this show marked a huge shift in what Phish was going to be.

Without this show, there is no 10/31/94, there is no 12/31/95, there is no anything that ever happened at Hampton. From this point on, the band knew that they could really push things and try blow your mind out of the water (when they wanted to). Sometimes it worked, and others it didn't... but this show definitely worked.

This is my favorite Phish show I've EVER SEEN! Hands down!
I remember paying $60 for 4th row right in front of Trey from ACE tickets or something! My friends were like "dude, you paid $60 for a Phish ticket!? Are you crazy?" DAMN RIGHT I DID!! How much would that ticket cost now!?!?

I went to the whole 93 NYE run, and I think this was better than 12/30/93, but I'm splitting hairs here!

**This was their self-proclaimed 10th Anniversary show**

The Reba is the PERFECT rendition. Not too fast (unlike the 12/31/95 Reba - which I think the tempo is too fast, but it's still sick, don't get me wrong!), but the 12/31/93 is just SOOO GOOD! Flawless, totally locked in during the jam. BEST REBA EVER!
**Though if anyone has another version that you think is better, or on par, etc" PLS hit me up at LowEndZen@gmail.com

These were my first tapes about 20 years ago. I don't really understand how anyone can hear the show and not become an instant addict like I did. The Harry Hood alone makes it a special night, but this show has so many tunes to return to. 20 years later and I'm not burnt out on this one yet.

A must-hear for any fan of spitfire Phish. 12/30 should be required listening as well just to show the jointed nature of these two shows in the run. Both shows just smoke. For you late-90's fans who don't dip back much, if you are going to dip, stick your pinky in 12/31/93...damn good SBD out there taboot...

My first "bootleg" show on tape I obtained in '95 which I still own even though the cassette has been long worn out. Thanks to phishows.com and surgarmegs.org and other streaming sites I can continue to listen to this show and others as long as the interwebs are online.

The pure quality of the playing in this show might just be the best phish show of all time. It's pretty much the perfect show. I love late 90's heavy improv jammed out phunk etc, but this show is just so special. I'm not sure you can say there is a more phenomenally played show from start to finish. This is phish at their absolute best in my opinion.

I'll go a little further on the greatness of this Hood. I consider this Trey's greatest solo and by extension one of the greatest solos in rock and roll history. It's that good. Such a slow patient build to a jaw-dropping peak.

The rest of the show is amazing as well. Just ripping versions of all the jam tunes. My favorite NYE show (I'll take the quality here over the quantity of Big Cypress).

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